A father and husband is about to be deported back to Mexico after his family said he tried to take all the right steps.
Froilan Sanchez, known as Floyd, has been married to his wife Michelle for more than 20 years and living, working and paying taxes in America for more than 30, but he entered the country illegally.
"People say to me all the time, you're a U.S. citizen you're married to him, what's the problem, the problem is the immigration system, that's the problem,” said Michelle Sanchez.
She said her husband tried to take the right steps to right the wrong and become a legal citizen, but he got bad legal advice. It meant he ended up at the consulate in Mexico without all the proper paperwork and he was denied citizenship. In turn, he came back to the United States illegally again.
"If you have any illegal entries, two or more essentially, you're just kind of barred from the United States until you go back to your home country and just wait out that bar,” said Branden Janssen, with Janseen Legal PLLC, the Sanchez’s attorney.
Sanchez and his wife had decided to go back to Mexico together to wait out the bar, so they could eventually become legal.
"They bought a house in Mexico, they plan on moving to Mexico,” said Janssen.
Before they would move, Michelle needed open heart surgery. In order to stay here with her legally, Floyd filed for what’s called a humanitarian parole and he got one.
It was set to expire June 11, but his attorney filed for an extension at the earliest allowable date, 90 days prior.
Janssen said Sanchez was told he would have an answer about the extension on June 14. When they went to bring requested paperwork today, Sanchez was taken into custody.
"He says, you know, your parole expired on the 11th and you're in violation of your parole, so we are detaining you,” said Janssen.
Since his family thought they were taking the proper steps and filing all the proper papers, they don’t know understand the decision to take him.
"We knew we were going to leave, but I just had surgery not even 60 days ago, I just wanted us to be able to say goodbye to our children to leave peacefully,” said Michelle Sanchez.
Her husband could be deported in the next couple of weeks. He is currently in custody in Ohio.
